How to Make Money with iWriter

iWriter.com is a simple platform that links clients to freelance writers. It’s where I started my content writing career. The pay is low, especially initially. However, there is always work available for you to choose from.

You make money on iWriter by selecting an article to write and then completing the job within the allotted time. You will be paid once the client accepts your article. You can make a reasonable income of ~1.5 cents/word once you earn elite status.Once you earn $20, your earnings will be transferred to your PayPal account on a weekly basis.

Unlike most platforms, with iWriter, the writer chooses the job rather than the client determining the writer. From a writer’s perspective, this is wonderful as you can browse all available jobs, choose one that fits your interests/skills, and start writing. There are pitfalls with this website though and I’ll give you some advice on how to avoid these and keep the revenue flowing.

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Getting Started on iWriter

Getting started on iWriter is an easy process. First, go to iWriter.com and see if they are accepting new writers. They are also selective by geographical area. From time to time, they aren’t, so email support to be alerted when they are. If/when they are, you will be asked to take a simple written test before you will be accepted to their website. Take this test seriously – it determines what tier of writer you will start as. I will explain tiers later in this post.

You’ll be asked to write 200 words about yourself and then 200 words about social media marketing. They’re looking to determine your grasp of the English language and whether you will just rehash someone else’s post. Once you are happy with your content, hit submit. As you can see from the screengrab, it states an application may take up to two weeks to approve. However, I think my application was approved in one business day (they only work M-F, 9-5 ET).

Once you are approved, you will need to pick a username. Choose carefully as this cannot be changed. They will ask you for a PayPal account to pay you. Finally, if you are in the US, they will ask for your SSN for tax purposes. I understand the hesitancy to give this kind of information to an unknown website. However, I have never had an issue with them. I’ve always been paid on time. I am in no way guaranteeing the safety of your personal information. I’m just stating that they have yet to give me cause for concern.

Once all the “paperwork” is complete, you are ready to start writing and earning some cash!

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Writing your First Article

Once it is time to write your first article, you will be presented with a helpful video that you can watch if you like. When I began, there wasn’t a video and I had no trouble getting started! So, watch it if you like. What you are looking for is the large, red “write content” button on the top right of the page. This will take you to all the available jobs that you have access to.

The jobs are automatically listed in ascending chronological order, which I have to say isn’t the best. There’s probably a reason that an article has been unwritten by anyone for a year. In fact, a few months ago they changed their search area layout and removed a great deal of functionality. One thing I liked filtering by was word count. That’s gone now. Instead, we are left with this stripped-down version that you can see here:

Personally, I sort by descending age (newest first) and look at the word counts and topics. Once you find an article that you think you can tackle, hit the plus button for more information. Read the special instructions carefully. If it still seems like an achievable task, hit write content.

This will then open a simple text box with a timer at the top that counts down. This is how long you have to submit the article. Once it expires, you will no longer be able to submit your work. It is recommended that you write directly into this text box. However, I’ve had my internet crash out on me and it had been a while since I used the save draft option. I lost a fair bit of work. Now, I tend to write elsewhere and copy and paste it in. I’ve had no issues with this. Recently, they updated the functionality of the text box to include some formatting tools. These can be very helpful!

Once you have written the article to the appropriate length and in the allotted time, hit the “submit article” button. Your text will automatically be sent through CopyScape. If it fails this test, the sections that are considered plagiarized will be highlighted in yellow. Fix these sections before submitting again. Note, you will be charged 10 cents each time your article fails to pass CopyScape.

After submitting your article is sent to the client who has three days to review it before it is auto-approved. Only after the client approves the article do you get paid. If you impress the client, they will even leave you a tip, which is very nice when it happens. While waiting for approval, get started on another article. You can only write one article at a time.

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Get to Elite as Fast as You Can

iWriter as four tiers of writers: standard, premium, elite, and elite plus. As you progress through the tiers, you earn more per word. You move up a level by obtaining reviews. See the table below for how the system works.

Level

Requirements

Standard

None

Premium

Rating ≥4.1, 25 Reviews

Elite

Rating ≥4.6, 30 Reviews

ElitePlus

Rating ≥4.85, 40 Reviews

You really need to be at the elite level (there aren’t many elite-plus jobs) to earn enough to make this worth your time. So, the goal when you are starting is to write 5-star articles quickly to build your reputation. To do this I wrote a lot of 300- and 500-word articles to deliver articles faster. I started at the premium level, based on my application, but I’d still write at the standard level when I saw something that seemed quick and easy to write.

Note, if your article is rejected by the client, the highest review you can receive is 3-stars. When starting out, this can have a highly negative effect on your rating. If your article is auto-accepted after the three days has elapsed, you will be paid, but receive no rating for that work.

Tips for Success on iWriter

There are a few things to be wary of when selecting articles to write:

The approval rate of the client. Anything below 80% and I’d stay clear. They are obviously picky or reject articles to get them for free.

New clients. For once you are on the right side of selecting work based on reputation. I often see jobs that I think I can complete easily. However, I don’t take them on because if the client is new, I have no idea if they will pay. I’d advise sticking to shorter word counts if you do take one on to safeguard yourself from losing too much time.

Too high a price. If an article is overpaying for the tier they are in, then they probably aren’t going to pay that for the article. Just today, for example, there’s a 500-word elite article paying over $50. The going rate for that is $7.15. Don’t waste your time.

I’d also advise following these “rules” to get your work accepted:

Use Grammarly. Or ProWritingAid. Something, anything, to check your grammar. No matter how good your content is, most clients will reject your work if it is not grammatically correct.

Don’t use filler sentences. Customers do not want to pay for “fluff” content.

Pay attention to the special instructions. They are provided for a reason. If they want a certain keyword density, meet it. If they ask for a certain topic to be covered, do that too.

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Special Writing Requests

A nice feature of iWriter is developing relationships between clients and writers and this allows for special writing requests. This system completely detours the open market place where you hunt for articles to write. Instead, the client sends a job directly to you.

There are a few benefits to this. Primarily, you get paid a little more, as iWriter takes a smaller cut of the client’s fee (you get a 5% bump). You also get more time on that red timer to deliver the article. Mostly though, with developing a relationship, you know that you are going to be compensated for your work as you trust the client. The more familiar you are with their article requirements, the faster you can produce the written product too.

Getting Paid

What’s most important to any freelancer is when and how they will get paid. On iWriter, you will get paid on Tuesday’s directly into your PayPal account once you hit the threshold of $20.

Pay periods are weekly, Tuesday-Monday, and then you get paid the following Tuesday for that pay period. So, let’s say you make $30 between Tuesday the 8th and Monday the 14th. On Tuesday the 22nd you will receive that $30 into your PayPal account.

I’ve read a few reviews where writers have said they haven’t received their payments and had issues with customer support. Perhaps I am one of the lucky few, but I’ve never had an issue with receiving my payments.

Final Thoughts

iWriter is an easy way to begin your freelance writing career. Once you can write elite-level articles, you can make a pretty decent side income from iWriter. I doubt it could ever be your sole revenue stream unless you are especially fast.

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Related Question

How Much of the Fee do Writers get Paid ?iWriter take a standard 35% cut of what the client pays for an article. That’s a huge slice of the pie. When an article is a special request, iWriter lowers the fee to 30%.